Business Whirl: Smith named district manager for SSA

Kelli W. Smith, a native and current resident of Winder has been selected by the Social Security Administration as the new district manager for Social Security in Athens.

Smith succeeds Joseph P. Walsh Jr., who retired from Social Security on Jan. 1 after working as the Athens district manager for 28 years and after a total of 38 years with the agency.

Smith, who has 26 years of experience with Social Security Administration, and who has worked in the Athens office during her tenure with the federal government, will oversee all agency operations in a 12-county area of Northeast Georgia, which includes Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Hart, Jackson, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe, Taliaferro, Walton and Wilkes. She is responsible for all SSA business conducted by the Athens and Winder offices.

Gavron giving retail insights at event

Mark Gavron, the owner of The Junkman’s Daughter’s Brother in Athens, and his sister, Pam Majors, who owns The Junkman’s Daughter in Atlanta, will be in Washington D.C. Monday to speak to members of the National Retail Federation.

Gavron and Majors will be part of a presentation by George Whalin, who wrote the book, “Retail Superstars” about unique and successful retail stores around the country. Both Gavron’s and Major’s stores are included in the book.

Law school gives Grove service award

The University of Georgia School of Law staff council presented Leslie Grove with the 2009 Emma P. Terrell Employee of the Year Award, which is named for a dedicated and

longtime law school employee.

Grove is an application programmer at Georgia Law. She was selected for the award in part because of her leadership and expertise demonstrated during the redesign of the school’s Web site.

A native of Summerville, S.C., Grove has been a law school employee for more than eight years, including two years as a student worker in the computing services area. She earned her bachelor’s degree from UGA in computer science in 2001.

Physicians appoint Cook to board

The Georgia Academy of Family Physicians announced the appointment of Dr. J. Mitch Cook, D.O. to the executive board as treasurer in November during its annual scientific assembly. Cook currently practices family medicine in Athens where he is in solo practice: Clarke-Oconee Family Practice LLC. He is a graduate of The University of Georgia (1987) and West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (1993). Cook is on medical staff at Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Mary’s Healthcare Systems of Athens.

Ferguson DOT district utilities engineer

The state Department of Transportation recently appointed Oconee County resident Allen Ferguson as district utilities engineer for Northeast Georgia’s District 1. District 1 covers 21 counties in Northeast Georgia, including Barrow, Clarke, Madison, Oconee and Walton. He is responsible for the utility coordination on all construction and maintenance projects with the 150 utility companies in Northeast Georgia’s District One.

Ferguson has worked with the DOT since 1983, when he began working in the maintenance division as an equipment operator. He worked his way up in the department. He also has served as permits inspector and assistant area engineer. His recent job duties were all in the utilities office.